


you aren't?

by yolock



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Artist Castiel (Supernatural), Didn't Know They Were Dating, Firefighter Dean Winchester, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:14:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29845497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yolock/pseuds/yolock
Summary: the one where it takes one burned pie to make these two realize they're in love.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 18
Kudos: 112





	you aren't?

Dean likes his new station a lot. He’s been working there only for a couple of months, but he’s already making friends with his coworkers, there has been enough action to keep them going, but nothing that they couldn’t handle, and at the end of the day, no one has died, so it has been great. 

“You catching a cold, or something?” Benny asks, when Dean rubs his itchy nose again, sniffing.

They’re coming back from a cat in a tree rescue turned into rescuing a man rescuing the cat, but eventually they’d gotten everyone down on the ground safely. 

“No”, Dean answers with a sneeze, “Just allergic to cats.” 

He had gotten the honor to lure Robert – yes, the cat, not the man – from the tree into the safety of his arms, and now he’s left with cat hair on his sleeves and a runny nose.

Benny chuckles at that, “That’s too bad, you were such a great cat whisperer.” 

“Tell me about it”, Dean rolls his eyes, trying to rub some of the cat hairs away from his sleeves. “Cas really wants to get one, but I am not a fan.”

Their conversation is cut short when Mick turns to them from the front of the truck. 

“Got another call nearby, might as well get that on the way”, he says, “Smoke coming from an apartment, with someone possibly inside.”

-

They pull up to the street, and Dean recognizes instantly where they are, when he hops out of the truck. There isn’t anything to recognize really, it’s the building he lives in.

“Apartment 4B, we might have to knock the door down since no one is answering”, Mick says, and they start pulling out the equipment. There’s an ambulance parking behind them.

“Wait, did you say 4B?” Dean asks. He’s not waiting for an answer, but already runs towards the building. 

“Dean, wait! Where are you—"

“It’s our apartment!” he shouts back without stopping, running up to their floor. 

In this case, having a too nosy neighbor is actually a good thing. Dean recognizes her standing there, and she’s probably the one who called 911. He ignores her and hurries to open the door. 

The smoke hits in a thick cloud when Dean opens the door, running inside. He hears his own voice breaking when he screams, “ _Cas_!”

He finds his friend on the kitchen floor, unconscious. The loud beeping of the fire alarm bangs against his eardrums, and he registers the smoke coming from the oven, but there’s not actual flames anywhere. 

He falls down on his knees next to Cas.

“Cas! Can you hear me?” he holds a hand on the side of Cas’s face, shaking him gently with the other, “ _Cas!_ ”

The others are running in as well, and soon there’s a pair of hands on his shoulders when Charlie is pulling him away.

“No!” Dean tries to shake her away.

Charlie turns Dean around, looking at him firmly while Jo kneels next to Cas as well, examining him.

“Dean”, Charlie says, grounding him, “Let us do our job.”

Dean can’t speak, he can just stare at Charlie with a hopeless look. 

“I know”, she says like Dean would’ve said something, “We got this.”

Dean forces himself to focus on his task in situations like this, which is the fire. It’s clear that something was burning in the oven, Benny and Mick are already on it, quickly taking care of that. The others are working around him, but he can’t snap himself into action.

He keeps his eyes on Cas instead, trying to keep himself from pushing Jo and Charlie away, when Cas still doesn’t respond.

“Is it the smoke?” Charlie wonders, putting an oxygen mask on the man.

Jo is checking his head, “I don’t know if it’s that or what, but he’s hit his head.”

Dean sees blood on Jo’s hand when she lifts it from Cas’s head. “No, Cas!”

“Don’t worry, Dean”, Charlie calls without taking her focus off the unconscious patient in front of her, “Sir, can you hear me? Cas?”

After what feels like an eternity, Cas blinks himself awake. His eyes stay unfocused for a moment, but after that he instantly looks behind Charlie.

“Dean?”

Dean lets out a shaky breath, chuckling in relief. He kneels on the floor, taking Cas’s hand, the relief of him being conscious making all Dean’s guards drop. “Hey”, he can’t not smile, giving Cas’s hand a squeeze. “Don’t get up, you’ve hit your head.” 

He can’t stop touching the man, running a hand up and down his arm to assure himself he’s really awake.

Charlie and Jo are checking his head injury, talking through the medical side of it, but Dean can’t focus on any of that. He’s just staring into the blue eyes, so fucking relieved they’re open.

“What the fuck happened?”

“I was—painting”, Cas starts, struggling to speak, “I forgot the pie—” he looks around, his brain taking the situation in finally, “The alarm, I ran and I tripped—Dean, I’m sorry—"

“No, Cas”, Dean holds his hand firmly, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about it. As long as you’re okay.”

“You’ve hit your head pretty badly”, Charlie says as Jo bandages the wound he’s got on the back of his head, apparently from the kitchen table. “We’re gonna take you to a hospital to get that checked up just in case.”

“I’m sure it’s fine—"

“Shut up, you’re going”, Dean argues instantly. Typical Cas to not want to cause any trouble.

They finish up with what they can do on the scene, before carrying Cas out. Benny and Mick stay behind to make sure there’s no risk for fire anymore, but Benny just nods him to go with Cas and the paramedics, when he tries to make himself stay.

His hand finds Cas’s once they’re out again, in the fresh air.

“I’ve told you I should be the one who cooks”, Dean says, aiming for a joke, but Cas just still looks guilty.

“It’s your birthday this weekend, I thought we could celebrate early since you’re working then”, Cas explains quietly, “I just got so deep into the new painting.”

Dean can’t stop himself. He brushes a gentle finger over Cas’s paint stained cheekbone. He manages to get a little bit of paint on the same exact spot every time he’s working on something. “Don’t worry about it, I’m just damn happy you’re okay”, he says around the lump back in his throat, “Got me worried for a second.”

Benny arrives behind him, slapping a hand on his shoulder. “Well, the pie’s not edible, and you’re gonna have a smoky scent around the house for a while, but everything else is checked.” He gives a smile and a nod at Cas, before quickly glancing at Dean.

“Thanks, Benny”, Dean says, “I’ll be right up.” 

Jo opens the back doors of the ambulance. “We’re ready to leave when you are.”

“You think they’re gonna keep him there for long?” Dean asks Jo and Charlie, “My shift ends in a few hours, should I call someone to be back at the apartment waiting?”

“Dean, it’s fine.” For once, Dean’s happy to hear Cas’s bitchy tone. 

Can’t be too severe damage if he’s still able to argue with Dean.

“If you get out before my shift ends, I’m calling Jody to be with you”, he states as Charlie and Jo roll him into the ambulance.

“Dean.”

“You have a head injury, Cas, I’m not letting you unsupervised for a second.”

Charlie and Jo exchange a look.

“I’d do what he says”, Charlie tells Cas, “He can be really stubborn if he wants to.”

Dean catches Cas’s grumbled, “Don’t I know it.” right before Jo slams the doors shut.

-

The last hours of Dean’s shift are much less eventful, which gives Dean too much time to sit around and think about what happened back at their apartment.

He was so blacked out by fear when he saw Cas there, blood on his head, that it’s just slowly coming back to him now.

Dean’s a professional. He’s been told he’s very good at his job, he runs into burning buildings in a heartbeat, no fire is too much for him, and most importantly: he’s always been able to keep his cool, and focus on the job no matter the pressure.

But when he saw Cas lying there, unconscious, it’s like all his training and previous experience on the job was gone, and he was left with no ability to think logically. He lost his head on the job, because the short thought of possibly losing Cas got to his head.

He hears Charlie and Jo returning, and he jumps up from his seat on instinct.

“How did it go?”

“All good, they’re running some tests, but he’s gonna be fine”, Charlie explains as she walks over to him. “Meg was on shift, told her not to release him without letting us know”, she grins.

Another wave of relief hits Dean, crashing him back down on the couch again, head in his hands.

Charlie sits down on the couch next to him, nudging a foot against his.

“Are you okay though?”

“Yeah”, Dean says, lifting his head, “It’s just—you know, when I saw him there I just—I couldn’t think, I—" he runs a hand over his face, “It was a standard gig, and I just lost it. Couldn’t do my damn job.”

“Hey”, Charlie reaches over, grabbing his wrist, “It’s okay. When it’s someone you love, it gets to you. We’re not machines, no matter how cool it would be if we were.”

“I just keep thinking what if he—"

“He didn’t”, Charlie says, tone firm, “He’s gonna be fine. He’ll have a hell of a headache, but as he himself said, the headache of you worrying will be worse.”

Dean chuckles a little. He can imagine Cas saying that. Sucks for him, but that’s not gonna stop Dean from worrying.

“But seriously, Dean, you’re human”, Charlie says, leaning back on the couch, “I mean, if it’d been _my girlfriend_ there, I would’ve been a mess.”

Dean nods, giving a thankful look to his friend. He’s been working there only for a few months, but he’s already made close friends with Charlie. She’s always laughing at his jokes and they have a good time during shifts, but he’s happy to see she’s there for him when shit hits the fan, understanding him, and relating.

Except.

“Wait—" he says, “Cas is—not my boyfriend.”

“What?” Charlie looks taken aback.

“He’s my friend”, Dean shrugs, “The rent is too crazy to live alone.”

Charlie frowns, blinking.

“Are you sure?” she asks just as Jo joins them, crashing on the empty space next to her. 

“Yes?” Dean says slowly, “I’m pretty sure I’d know if we’d be together.”

“What?” Jo asks, joining the conversation. Dean points at Charlie.

“She thought I’m dating Cas.”

The candy bar Jo’s about to take a bite of stops right before it reaches her mouth, “You aren’t?”

“Wait”, Charlie cuts into their confused stares, lifting her hands up, “So, what you’re saying is, that you moved in here, and transitioned to this station, because Cas, who we’ve heard so much about that I feel like I already know the man, got a job here, _and_ you live together, and you’re, what, roommates?”

Well, not just that. They’re best friends and have been for a long time. They lived together before, and it’s not like Dean had anything left when Cas told him he’s gonna move for the new job. There are fires everywhere, he might as well put them off in another city, where he gets to see Cas as much as he’s used to.

Jo and Charlie share one of their looks, before staring at him again.

“Are you sure?” Jo asks this time.

Dean’s getting frustrated.

“I would know if he had feelings for me too, okay, but he’s just a friend.”

The thing about letting your guards down is that sometimes he forgets to build them up again. He silently waits for the girls to follow up on his blurted confession, waiting for the eventual joking or gentle laughing, but it doesn’t come. 

Jo looks thoughtful for a second, before she grimaces a bit, “Well, that makes the conversation back at the hospital a bit awkward.”

Dean doesn’t have time to ask about it when the others join and the conversation switches to something else.

-

Cas gets to leave home on the promise of someone picking him up and staying with him, and Dean gets out of his shift just in time. He drives up to the hospital to pick him up, and he has a day off tomorrow, so it’s all settled.

The conversation he had with the girls haunts him when he pulls Cas into a hug, before opening the car door for him.

“My hands work just fine, Dean, I can open a door.”

“Not when I’m in charge”, Dean says, giddy simply seeing Cas walking and talking. He slams the door shut as Cas glares at him from the car.

They drive back to their apartment in a silence that would be comfortable if Cas wasn’t fiddling with the hem of his shirt, looking thoughtfully either at his hands or out of the window, at anywhere but Dean.

Dean parks the car and they walk upstairs. He commands Cas to the couch while he opens all the windows and the balcony door to get as much fresh air in as possible, but needless to say, the smell is still awful.

He checks the oven just to confirm that it’s completely ruined. The rest of the kitchen looks surprisingly clean, considering there was almost a fire starting.

There’s a bowl in the sink, traces of pie dough on it. 

Cas made the pie from scratch. He hates baking.

Dean doesn’t get to enjoy the warmth of the thought for too long, when he spots a tiny amount of blood on the corner of the kitchen table, and the sick feeling in his stomach is back instantly. 

He needs to get his eyes on Cas.

When he steps into the living room, Cas is lying on the couch where he forced him to be, channel surfing with a bored look on his face.

Dean sits down on the armchair, eyes glued to the man.

“Nothing bad happens, even if you let yourself relax for a moment”, Cas says without looking away from the screen.

“You shouldn’t even watch TV with that injury.”

To his surprise, Cas actually turns the TV off. He turns to look at Dean instead, his face twisting a bit when he moves.

It’s probably awkward, the way they just stare at each other in the silence, but Dean can’t care about that. He’s still a bit shaken from the scene before.

When it’s someone you love, it gets to you.

“I’m sorry about the oven”, Cas speaks eventually, face turning softer, guilt in his eyes.

“Screw the oven, Cas. You’re the one that matters”, Dean says, his voice thick with something again, “We’ll buy a new one, don’t worry about it.”

The guilt in Cas’s face turns into a shy smile.

“‘Don’t worry, we’ll take care of your boyfriend too.’”

Dean frowns. “What?”

“That’s what they told me when they dropped me off, the paramedics”, Cas clarifies, “I thought they were joking at first, but they really thought we’re dating.”

Fuck. It was bad enough he was a fucking mess when they found Cas, but he was wishing Cas wouldn’t notice all that with the blunt force trauma to the head and all, saving him from the embarrassment of that. 

But this is much worse. Of course, Charlie and Jo had to jump to conclusions and now he has to suffer.

“Yeah”, Dean chuckles nervously, “Weird, right?”

“Weird”, Cas hums in agreement. He pushes himself to sit, “but considering we live together, that’s a logical assumption one would make.”

“Yeah”, Dean nods, absentmindedly staring at the bookshelf instead of Cas, He remembers what Charlie said earlier. “I always talk about you, when we talk home stuff at work”, he offers as an explanation.

“Makes sense”, Cas says, “We have been best friends for a long time.”

“Neither of us is seeing anyone else”, Dean points out as he picks the loose thread from the armrest of the chair.

“Which is why you are my plus one at all my art shows at the new gallery.”

“I took the job here because I didn’t want to live away from you.”

Shit. He has no idea what he was aiming for, but it wasn’t _that_. He shoots his eyes up where Cas is already staring. “I mean—" Dean stammers, “Not that they know that.”

That doesn’t make it any better.

Cas doesn’t look weirded out, though. If anything, he looks hopeful.

“You did?”

The thing is, Dean could lie and save himself from the embarrassment of it all. But he doesn’t really want to lie to Cas, so he nods.

“Yeah, Cas, you’re my best friend.”

And it’s true, but the longer they stay silent after, the more it starts to feel like a lie. And while it’s not a lie, it’s not the whole truth either.

There’s the things they just listed, but there’s so much more.

Cas looks at him like he always does, but the same look he gives Dean feels different all of a sudden. Dean recognizes himself of it. It’s the way he looks at Cas, has been for years.

“We’re—” Cas starts.

Realization washes over them both.

“Are we—dating, Dean?”

Dean’s feelings for Cas are no surprise, he’s admitted to himself he’s in love with his best friend a long time ago, but now Cas is looking at him like _that_ , and now Dean feels like he’s the one who just hit his head.

“You are the third person to ask me that today.”

He gets up from the chair and sits back down next to Cas on the couch, and when he leans in for a kiss, it feels like something he’s done a million times, and not just in his head.

“I guess we are.”

**Author's Note:**

> if you want, you can follow me on [tumblr](https://cvsnovak.tumblr.com/) :)


End file.
